2014 TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING BUDGETVoting 73-26 on Thursday, the Senate advanced a bill (S 1243) to appropriate $54 billion for transportation, housing and related programs in fiscal 2014. A yes vote was to advance a bill also releasing $53.5 billion for road projects from the Highway Trust Fund.NELSON YES RUBIO NO

PUBLIC HOUSING DISQUALIFIERSSenators voted Tuesday, 99-1, to amend S 1243 (above) to deny public-housing assistance to persons convicted of sex offenses, murder and certain other state and federal crimes. Current law already allows such an exclusion, but this measure makes it mandatory. A yes vote backed the amendment.NELSON YES RUBIO YES

HOUSE2014 MILITARY APPROPRIATIONSVoting 315-109 on Wednesday, members approved $595 billion in military appropriations for fiscal 2014, including nearly $82 billion for combat in Afghanistan and other overseas hot spots. A yes vote was to pass a bill raising uniformed pay by 1.8 percent and authorizing 1.36 million active-duty troops. (HR 2397)GRAYSON NO ROONEY YES ROSS YES WEBSTER YES

NSA TELEPHONE-RECORDS DRAGNETMembers defeated Wednesday, 205-217, an amendment to HR 2397 (above) that sought to end the National Security Agency's bulk collection of records of most phone calls in America under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. A yes vote was to outlaw a dragnet that is operated without specific warrants and which gathers a record, not the content, of phone calls.GRAYSON YES ROONEY NO ROSS YES WEBSTER NO

BIPARTISAN DEFENSE CUTMembers voted Wednesday, 215-206, to strip HR 2397 (above) of $3.6 billion that the Pentagon did not request for operations in war zones overseas. A yes vote backed a defense cut jointly sponsored by Rep. Mick Mulvaney, a Tea Party Republican from South Carolina, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a progressive Democrat from Maryland.GRAYSON YES ROONEY NO ROSS NO WEBSTER NO

EAST COAST MISSILE DEFENSEMembers refused Tuesday, 173-249, to strip HR 2379 (above) of $70 million for planning a missile-defense site on the East Coast to go with existing sites in California and Alaska. A yes vote was to defund a program, now in the planning stage, that the Pentagon has not requested or approved.GRAYSON NO ROONEY NO ROSS NO WEBSTER NO

GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATIONMembers defeated Thursday, 192-225, a Democratic-sponsored requirement that coal-ash disposal structures built under the terms of HR 2218 (above) be sufficient to prevent toxins from seeping into water tables and surface water. A yes vote was to adopt the motion.GRAYSON YES ROONEY NO ROSS NO WEBSTER NO

COAL-ASH RULESMembers voted Thursday, 265-155, to give states primary authority to regulate the ash left as waste by coal-fired power plants. A yes vote was to pass a GOP bill that would override the Environmental Protection Agency's drafting of federal rules for the safe disposal of this toxic, non-organic substance. (HR 2218)GRAYSON NO ROONEY YES ROSS YES WEBSTER YESINTERSTATE ENVIRONMENTAL RISKSMembers defeated Thursday, 176-239, a Democratic bid to require Environmental Protection Agency intervention to keep one state's coal-ash disposal from creating pollution and drinking-water problems in other states. A yes vote was to adopt the amendment. (HR 2218)GRAYSON YES ROONEY NO ROSS NO WEBSTER NO

In the week ahead, the House will debate student-loan interest rates and fiscal 2014 appropriations, while the Senate will resume debate on a spending bill for transportation and housing programs.

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